Bad Guys don't like crystals
by PleaseGiveMeaChance
Summary: Chaos warriors have to search for the crystals Chaos made for them. Will they be able to cooperate and find them? Will they mess up everything? (There will be two new characters, from FF IX).
1. Chapter 1

"What? Chaos died for us and he wants us to search for cystals?" Ultimecia's voice echoed trough the room.  
"How pathetic..." the Emperor was looking really bored during all the time.  
"Uwee what's this? That seems something Cosmos would do!" Kefka looked kinda amused.  
The heavy noise of Garland's sword against the floor made them all silent looking at him.  
He was staring at the empty seat in front of him. "Where is Kuja?"  
"I was wondering that too!" Kefka said.  
"It's better if he doesn't show up." Declared The Emperor.  
"Oh my... Are you talking about me?" Kuja appeared at the entrance of the room.  
They were all around a table discussing about something.  
Kefka stood up "Kujie coo, did you listen?"  
Kuja was thankful to Kefka for speaking first, he really didn't want to listen to Garland complaints about him not being there in time.  
He reached the table and sat down uncofortably in the only available seat, between Kefka and Cloud, right in front of Garland.  
He really couldn't avoid Garland stare there.  
"What were you doing?" it was Garland's deep voice.  
Kuja stared at the Emperor. It was probably his fault that he pasted the entire morning trapped in a kind of magic trap, until he figured out a way to break the spell.  
"He's obviously plotting something against all of us." Ultimecia said scornfully, noticing the way Kuja was glaring at Emperor Mateus.  
"It's not like you are not doing the same." Kefka mischievously smirked at her.  
She stared icily at the clown.  
Kuja did not know what was worst, being accused by Ultimecia or having Kefka stand up for him. What a choice!  
Garland Knocked the giant sword against the floor again.  
"Please, if you want to let us know something important, go on." Kuja told Garland, trying sound sincere.  
Garland knew very well that their attention span was low, so he decided to continue.  
"As you can notice Chaos is not with us.  
We lost the last time, so we lost our memories too, but we all can remember Chaos protected us. He died."  
Garland glared ad the face of the warriors. Kefka was whispering something to Kuja, The Emperor and Ultimecia was looking like they didn't give a fuck, and Cloud was staring at the ground with the expression of someone who is daydreaming about death. So, they were the strogest warriors, the survivors.  
In Garland's eyes there was no way they could be considered warriors. No wonder they lost.  
They seemed like a bunch of annoying, undisciplined kids.  
Garland lifted the sword again to get their attention.  
"You can also see most of us died in the previous cycle, can't you remember the other warriors?"  
"Oh, yes, that disgusting tentacle woman... What was her name?" Ultimecia smirked.  
"And Sephirot too!" Kefka said enthusiastically.  
Cloud looked troubled "Tidus was on Chaos' side the last time..." He said painfully.  
"Golbez, Exdeath... " Kuja remembered.  
"And Ject, well, I crushed that insect, he was a traitor." Mateus icily said, then glared at Kuja.  
Garland stood up looking at their faces.  
"With his last strenght Chaos called two new warriors. We don't know their name, nor how they look, where they come from.  
We have to find them, and we have to find the crystals.  
Well, now we have to work toghether, to cooperate. We still don't know the details of this mission, but make sure we won't fail this time." Garland gave them a harsh look.  
"How do you remember about this? I don't remember nothing about Chaos talking about crystals..." Kuja asked, looking at Garland.  
"I... I was at Chaos'side in his last moment." Garland answered in a solemn voice.  
"Pathetic." Ultimecia whispered.  
Garland turned his armoured face towards her.  
None of them could see his eyes, but an angry aura was all around him.  
"I will go search for the other two warriors. You should start searching for clues about the crystals."  
Garland started to walk away.  
Kuja reached for him "What about Cosmos warriors? Are they all still alive?" He asked.  
"Why are you asking?"  
"He's worried about that monkey." Emperor said harshly.  
Kuja tried to ignore him.  
Cloud reached Kuja's side "Actually, I want to know too. That could bring memories and clues about how to get the crystals."  
Emperor rolled his eyes. Garland was still lingering.  
"Well, I want to know if my doll is still alive. I have to know how much fun this cycle will be!" Kefka tried.  
"Kefka is really the worst, he doesn't even have a reason for asking." Emperor complained.  
Garland closed his eyes under the armoured face. They were all so annoyng.  
Ultimecia glared at Emperor detached Expression. "I want to know too." She joined them, biting her lip.  
"Uwee she will pay for this!" Kefka smirked.  
"Fine" Garland sighted. "Almost all of you are interested, so I will check the situation on Cosmos side. I will be back soon."  
The armoured warrior left the room.

"I want to know why now Garland sees himself as the leader" Emperor asked staring at the space where Garland was few minutes before.  
"Don't be like this. I am the one who hates everyone and everything." Kefka lughed, performing a blizzard magic in the air, that exploded and looked like fireworks.  
Cloud gazed at their faces. His only clear memory about the previous cycle was that Tidus had sacrificed to protect him. It would have been better to disappear in the previous cycle than to be with them.  
Just to shake off the uncomfortable feeling that Kuja was the most normal among those warriors he leaved the room. "I will be going." He said.  
The last thing he heard was Kefka's voice "See you SOON, Cloud". Even Sephirot couldn't have said it creepier.

"We must talk." Emperor said to Ultimecia. She sighted while following him out of the room.  
"I knew it!" Kefka looked really amused, he grabbed Kuja arms.

Then Kuja and Kefka were left alone in that secret room of Kefka's tower.  
Kuja hurried to shake off Kefka hands from his own arms, then left the room without any words.  
Kefka smirked, then followed him along the corridor.  
"Where do you think you are going?"

"Take me with you!"

"You could be my Ultimecia, I could be your Emperor!"

"Well, do you prefer me to be Ultimecia?"  
"PLEASE, STOP!" Kuja said loudly.  
Suddenly Kefka pressed his hand against Kuja's lips "Hush".  
Kuja's face was very amusing, but Kefka regretfully had to remove his gaze, instead of teasing him.  
Kefka pointed with his eyes towards the corner of the corridor.  
"Be quiet, I saw something." He whispered in the ear of the younger mage. Then they could even hear someone walking.

A woman appeared. She stared unruffled at the two flamboyant men in an awkward posture in front of her.

Kuja hurried to distance himself from Kefka.  
"Have we met before?" Kuja blinked with an amazed face.

* * *

***************************************Author's note:  
Thank you for reading it, if you want to let me know what do you think I will be glad! English isn't my first language, please let me know if I messed up something.


	2. Chapter 2

Kuja hurried to distance himself from Kefka.  
"Have we met before?" Kuja blinked with an amazed face.

The woman stared back at Kuja, then drew her swords, she seemed kinda aggressive.  
"Uwee that was lame, your brother could have told a similar line" Kefka commented.  
Kuja didn't remove his gaze from her. "... you can't remember me? I lost my memory too, so I just feel like I once knew you."  
The woman looked confused. "I don't have time for your nonsense. I am searching a man. A tough man with an armour. Have you seen him?" She asked.  
Then Kefka laughed "I know him! I know him! He's Garland."  
The genome brought a hand to his own chin, and looked bothered, he remembered a tough armoured man too.  
It was annoying to not having clear memories.  
"What? Have you seen a bunch of monsters, at least?"  
"Well, I placed many Kuja's manikinins to guard this place, but they were beautiful, not monster-looking at all." The clown answered, Kuja glared with his amazing pissed face.

The woman looked bothered. "I already told you, I don't have time for this!" She run her fingers through her hair.

Then she opened up a path between the two mages with the sword and her entire body, and rushed along the corridor, until she disappear from their sight.  
Kefka's arm was bleeding.  
"She did that thing you usually do with you hair when you try to look cool" He said, while performing a healing spell. "I hate women with swords the most!"  
Kuja looked aloof.  
The younger mage started to walk towards the exit of the tower but his mind was somewhere else, trying to chatch his lost memories and Kefka was following him and blabbering about how he hated people who ignores him even more then sworded girls.

* * *

Cloud was distancing himself from Kefka's tower.  
He reached the continent and went near the sea.  
In the distance he could see the Cosmos sanctuary, and in the opposite direction that damned land where Chaos' throne was.  
In a way, staying like this, halfway between heaven and hell, was confortable for him.  
He felt he was not a hero nor a villain.  
A manikin was running around the area. Manikins didn't attack Chaos' warriors, so he didn't had to worry about it.  
Manikins had the shape and the skills from people either from Chaos side and Cosmos side, and from dead people too.  
That was a manikin of Tifa.  
He stared at it and walked near it, then looked in that empty, vitreous eyes.  
Tifa's eyes were nothing like this, they were warm, fierce and caring at the same time.  
"Is there a reason for me to be here?" He talked to himself with a soft voice.  
The manikin kept running towards the land of Chaos.  
He glared back at the Sanctuary, then started to follow the manikin straight to hell.  
There was no meaning to stay in the middle forever, anyway.

* * *

Ultimecia looked at Emperor's face, his face was illuminated by the dancing flames all around them.  
In his fierce, icy eyes, however, there was only one thing reflected: the throne.  
He really looked born to rule whatever world he was in, at that was something Ultimecia was fascinated by.  
"So, do you care about Cosmos' warriors now?" He asked while foretasting for the moment he could sat on the great throne in front of him.  
"I think it's better to know who are your enemies." She said.  
"Well, you could never be sure. I think people who are near me are most dangerous than who openly declares me war." He glared at her.  
She remained silent while watching him touching Chaos' throne.  
He carressed the stone like it was the most precious thing in the entire world, then he sat down and looked defiantly at her.  
He watched her walking in the her femminine and charming way and sat on the armrest, at his right side.  
She looked down at him, in a way that could have seduced most of men. But not him.  
He didn't like this kind of things.  
"If you sit that way you are in a higher position than me." He placed the point of his scepter under her throat.  
She could feel the heat and the power of his magic. That was kind of exciting, if only they could swap their role.  
"I want you to be on your knees" He ordered.  
She stopped time.

The hell she was gonna go on her knees to please him!  
At first she tought they were kind of kindred spirits. It was her who chose him. Emperor has never been interested in find an ally.  
And then she was starting to learn that kindred spirits aren't always meant to be together, especially if they crave for the same power.  
She threw his scepter on the ground, then time started again its natural flow.  
Mateus glared at her standing up in front of him.  
"You go on your knees, if you want to pick it." She pointed at his scepter.  
"This kind of game... make them with the scarred boy you are obsessed with!" He performed a flare against her with rage.  
That was the moment when Cloud appear between the flames, and nearby they could hear the voices of the other two.

"One day or another i will cut your troath, I swear."  
"And that's why I like you, Kujie coo!  
Uwee I wonder if Mateus have already placed his golden ass on Chaos throne?"  
They entered "No doubt." Kuja whispered glaring at the Emperor.  
They were all glaring with hate at each other.

Garland suddenly appeared in the Chaos place too.  
"I didn't expect to find all of them toghether, maybe this time we really will be able to cooperate... Why are all of them here, anyway?" He said to himself.  
Garland informed them that Warrior of Light, Cecil, Bartz, Terra, Tifa, Squall, Zidane, Yuna, Prishe, Vaan and Lightning were the survivors among Cosmos' warrios from the previous Cycle.  
"Did you find something in the meanwhile?"

"Well, did you have a woman, Garland? Maybe, something like a wife you once cheated, looking for revenge, or maybe-" Kefka started, with a scary expression halfway between the smirking and the daydreaming.  
"We found nothing at all." Kuja said louder, interrupting him.


	3. Chapter 3

"What if the crystals Chaos made for us are for returning to life Chaos warriors?" Kefka suggested, "Who would you choose?"  
All the persons in the room were trying to ignore him, so he made a magical fire circle around the room just to catch their attention.  
"Uwee, come on! I would choose the One Winged Angel, I think together with me and Kuja we are the most impressive looking. Too bad Kujie didn't like him" Kefka laughed. "Who would you coose Kuja?"  
"Exdeath. I remember you being silent for an entire hour when we were with him!" The genome answered.  
"Oh, that was because I didn't want him to get a chance to talk about the Voooid again! What about you?" He just turned to Ultimecia and Emperor.  
"Exdeath was one obedient naive pawn" Mateus speaked apathetically, Ultimecia agreed.  
Kuja took the chance to leave the room without Kefka following him. "Uwee Exdeath is the more loved here." It was the last thing Kuja could hear from him.

Kuja went in the crystal world, finally alone, gazing at that strange sky.  
It was so difficult to have his own time with Kefka always following him like he was his shadow.

The genome not smart enough to use magic was alive, it was such a relief.  
Among all his fragmented memories the one with Zidane protecting his body in the deep of the Lifa Tree was the dearest.  
The only warming in his entire life, and afterlife too.  
In order to protect Zidane, and made he return home he had to do something different in this cycle.  
The first thing to do it had to be giving Kefka something to play with, to be left alone by him.

As he heard a noise he figured out Kefka obnoxious figure.  
"You are not allowed to come in." and he casted a flare all around himself, causing the distraction of some nearby stone.  
"Sorry." It was Cloud's low deep voice.  
"ah, it's you... " Kuja was speechless.  
"I didn't mean to bother you." The sworded warrior said calmly, just the opposite Kefka would say, Kuja smirked at the thought of this.  
The genome felt like in the previous cycle Cloud and him were sort of close, of course they were far from being friends, Kuja didn't even know what friendship is like, but he knew that sometime is convenient to make a deal, and he knew how to be persuasive. And Cloud was the best candidate on the Chaos'side to make a deal with.

"Cloud"

The blond guy turn to him and looked straight in his eyes.  
It was not the arrognat glare of Mateus, not the cold evil glare of Ultimecia, and neither Kefka's crazy stare. It was somehow a hurt and tired kind of glare, but it was the most sincere he could receive in that place, in that moment.  
And Kuja knew well that when people are weak or hurt are more prone to compromise.  
Even if he was never interested in doing evil actions just for the taste of it, to live the way he had, teached him something.  
"We both need to make a deal." Kuja did his best to not sound arrogant.  
Cloud's glance became more intese as he lingered, waiting for the mage to explain himself.

* * *

***Meanwhile, on the other side of the world***

All around him there was only water, a murky, dark water.  
Is that how it feels to grow in a womb before birth? Is that how it feels after you are dead?  
One would have felt like suffocating, staying underwater like this, but he didn't need to breath.  
One would have felt soaked to the bone, but he had no bones.  
He remembered a time where he was in the same situation.

_"What is this?" A voice said._  
_"It's the prototype 05"_  
_"It doesn't seem powerful enough, leave it along the way." He could hear the voices but could not see them. It was dark._  
_Then he remembered falling from an airship, and then the water, the same dark water as now._  
_That time he picked a strange thing that was floating in the water, then a tough man was sniffing him._  
_"What is this?"_  
_He didn't know how to answer._  
_"You are small, but you look yummy..." the big man said._  
_He couldn't remember much more. It was like remembering some forbidden memory of a previous life._

The water started to look clearer, he was near the surface.  
He closed his eyes, the sudden light was painful.  
It was like a dream.  
A monstrous creature, like a devil appeared in his mind.  
"I don't value if you were good or bad in life. I value your destructive potential. I choose you to bring great destruction."  
It felt like someone was reminding him the reason he was once created for. The sleep slowly become black and dreamless.

"What's this?"

"Hey Bartz, come to see this!" A cheerful femminine voice said.  
"What is this thing? I have to show it to Zidane!" An equally enthusiastic voice answered.  
"Do you think this is a fish?"  
"Fish in the place where I came from looked nothing like this, Prishe, I had one in my pants once."  
"What? Do you think we can eat him?"  
"It doesn't seem good. Doesn't he look a bit like a person?"  
"Yes, a little person like Doc, uhm... I mean Doctor Shantotto!"  
"Sweet Cosmos! We have to bring here Zidane! Stay here with this thing."  
"Okay, Bartz, but if it wakes up in a bad mood I will kick his ass."

Then it was quieter, until he felt a hand poking at him.  
He finally find the strengh to open his eyes.  
There was a girl with long violet hair end big blue eyes staring at him.  
"Can you talk?" She blinked.  
He couldn't. Voice couldn't come out. Maybe all that water wasn't good for his body. Maybe it was because he felt confused and kinda scared.  
Behind the back of the girl some kind of pale people, similar to living statues, was running where they were.  
"I feel those bastards behind my back."  
The violet haired girl turned towards them and watched them stopping a few metres away.  
"They don't attack?"  
She glared suspiciously back at him.  
"So, are you with Chaos?" She smirked and punched him.  
He falled on his back like an inanimated object would fall.  
"What was Chaos thinking when he chose you, little one?"  
She was due to attacking him again with more power. "Go to hell!" She shouted.  
He did the only things that felt natural, he lifted his arms and felt the magic flowing within his entire body and mind.  
An enormous cyrcle of fire surrounded the girl's body. She had never seen someone using fire spells so powerfully, and she never get the chance to see that again.  
As she screamed, her breath was already taken away.  
From the flames a crystal emerged. It wasn't shining. It was just a dark inanimate object, but dripping with magic power.  
The little mage looked his own hands, lifting the fingers. He felt even more scared than before.  
He took the crystal and placed it in his pocket, just because he felt it was similar to himself.  
Then he stared at the tide slowly taking her body away.  
He hid behind some rock when the guy he heard speaking came back, the young guy was not alone, another energetic blonde boy was with him.

"I swear, Zidane, it was here... I wonder if Prishe took him with her."  
"Geez, It was a talking what this time, Bartz? You are always the one who find talking turtle and talking rocks!"  
"Are you jealous?"  
"Not at all, I am the one who finds treasure and girls!"  
"About that... we should to find Prishe."  
"Right. I suggest the first who find her wins a date with her."  
"I tought you liked Terra... Er, was it Tifa?" "They are all cute."  
"Just hurry if you want to win." The taller guy was already distancing him.

The little mage stood there in the breeze until his clothes was dry and the sky was getting darker.

* * *

"Do you accept?"

Cloud was the only one who could remember the last battle. There was a reason why so many from the Chaos team were dead: it was an internal battle.  
Chaos member were all against each other. There was no Cosmos' warriors in that battle.  
Sephirot, naturally, was trying to kill him, but Tidus get in the way and were stabbed, Cloud reached for him turning his back on Sephirot.  
He tought he wouldn't care about dying, since he couldn't even protect his friends.  
It was Kuja who casted a powerful Ultima on Sephirot, smashing him breathless on the ground.

"Do you accept?"

The genome was staring at him, waiting for an answer.  
He seemed sincere, and to tell the truth, Cloud could remember him this way even in the previus cycle, at least with him.  
And he was thankful for what Kuja did in the last battle.  
"Can you answer me?" Kuja asked again, running out of patience.  
The only thing was... Even if it looked like an effective plan, some things in his scheme were atrocious.  
He knew that in order to protect Tifa and let her out of that endless war's cycle, he had to try something different.


	4. Chapter 4

Oddly enough, Chaos warriors used to do all the boring everyday activity like eat and sleep in Kefka's tower.  
There weren't so much choices, anyway.  
The only other building nearby Chaos throne was Mateus place, but no one, not even in the previus cycles, chose it, neither Mateus himself.

Kefka got up and looked himself in the mirror. "Should I wear red or violet?" He asked at his image.  
He passed his fingers on the mirrored image, drowing red sign on his eye and violet lips.  
The signs appeared on his skin. Magic make up was the best.

It was the third day from the start of that cycle and he still hadn't started doing something fun.  
It was about time to start, but first... He knocked at Kuja's room.  
There was no answer.  
He considered for a bit the idea of forcing the door, but then tought this weren't the kind of things to do before having breakfast.  
To force a door closed with a magic seal was a really tiring activity, it required patience to find the right magic to open the seal.  
The clown jumped down the stairs cheerfully, and run in the pantry looking for something to eat.  
All that was left was a moogles'pompom. He squeezed it to hear the kupo, than made it explode and laughed.  
"Uwee hehe You can never get bored of destruction!" He said to himself. "But was it Mateus who had to capture moogles for this week?"  
"EMPEROR!" He shouted hurrying himself over the stairs again.  
He knocked and knocked, foretasting the image of Mateus' pissed face, but none was there.  
"Well, Ultimecia should be with him, shouldn't she?" He tried without convinction to open her rooms'door. He tought he could just complain a bit about the lack of moogles meat with Garland.  
Garland room was left open, so Kefka went in without thinking it twice.  
"What's this? Is Garland a fan of the Void too?"  
The room was very poorly filled. It looked like a jail, almost. "Damn Exdeath!"  
Was he staring to feeling lonely?

He just knocked the last door. "A rude missy knocked at my tower looking for Cloud, should I kill her?"

Only a very very lonely person would look for Cloud's company.  
There was no answer. Even Cloud had started having fun before him.  
"Have they already started plotting evil and bring destruction?"  
"I tought I was the most evil." He pouted, then rushed over the stairs until the top floors, and started observing the land nearby with a telescope to catch his team mates, or his enemies.

He opened his mouth with surprise.  
"Is that Garland's Woman? Manikins? Who's with her?"

If only he could also hear the voices!  
He casted some flare on the sky up there to see if he could catch the woman attention, and besides they make it seems like there was a beautiful violent war in the sky.

* * *

"Am i really in hell?"

She looked around her, the dreary scenario was all around, it was a desert.  
She noticed something partially covered by the sand, intrigued she picked it.  
It was a moogle's skull.  
She was not the kind of person impressed by this kind of things, as she had taken away many soldiers' life, and her gut was crafted during several wars and battles.  
The woman turned the skull until she could stare in his void eyes'orbit.  
"I was fighting the monsters that had invided the town... could it be I really died?" She asked to the skull.

"But hell should be overpopulated, doesn't it?"

Some lifeless pale creature were dancing around her, wandering aimless in that weird land.  
"Maybe people in hell become like this after a long time."

"You know, you shouldn't talk to a moogle skull, people will think that you are a bad person."

The woman turned toward the voice.  
A young light blond haired guy was staring at her with a curious expression, she noticed he had a sword too, but he looked relaxed.  
The manikins suddenly started to surround them, then she notiched among the pale statue-like people there was copies of the blonde guy.  
She istinctively made a display of her sword, admitting to herself whatever thing was going on was kinda crazy.  
"I killed an entire army by myself with this sword, don't think to scare me with this thing." She said, fierciely running her fingers trough the hair.  
"I am not doing anything." He calmly smiled for a moment.  
"These copies of you, you made them surround me to scare me, didn't you?"  
"Then I think they're only after me." He looked troubled gazing at them.  
"What do you mean?"  
"Don't play dumb, I mean I know you are from Chaos. But I don't care what side you are on, people are people anyway." His tone remained kind, but she couldn't understand what the hell he was talking about.

Suddenly a thunder echoed in the desert.  
They looked at the sky, it catched the attention of the lifeless statues too.  
It was like someone was tearing down the sky.  
"What's with the sky?" The blonde guy said.

"Vaan! What's happening?"

A pink haired girl hurried between the pale lifeless people, hurting some of them with her weapon.  
Then she stared at the woman who was pointing a sword to the blond guy.  
"A new Chaos warrior, I see." The girl said with a calm but aggressive voice.  
"I think you should lower your sword." The pink haired girl added, then she hit the precious looking woman's sword.

"I think you want to die."

Something that was buried inside her had awakened.  
How long it was since she got the chance to actually fight?  
When the peace was brought in the world she just faught monsters to protect the town, trying to forget past's sins.  
All the lives she had taken away were still clear in her mind while she was dancing with her sword in that surreal duel, reminding her why she deserved hell, making her deserving it even more.

Flares in the sky were bursting in accordng to her mood.

* * *

"Uwee, great! A woman who can greacefully destroying everyone and everything! I didn't think Garland had such a great taste!"

Kefka clapped his hands distancing himself from the telescope.  
"Should I help?" He bursted out laughing and lifted one hand towards the desert feeling the destructive power tickling his hand.


	5. Chapter 5

The woman was out of breath, her sword soaked in blood.  
Her side was dripping in blood.  
The pink haired girl was stronger than is seemed. They were gazing at each other with feral hate.  
The blond young guy was already gone, his body was lying on the ground lifeless.  
Many of the pale lifeless people was shuttered on the ground.

Suddenly a huge light from the sky hit the pink haired girl, then the sky calmed down.

The woman was left alone, heavily weezing, feeling drained of energy, surrounded by blood.  
It felt like something familiar to her, it felt like a painful deja vu. She felt like she could not distinguish clearly anymore what was in her past.  
She pressed her hand on her bleeding side trying to relieve the pain, then she went close to the two corpse on the ground. Their blood was still warm and liquid, their eyes still open, but frozen in a soulles grimace.  
She wondered who casted the magic spell that killed the girl, it was like some God was watching over her, from the moment the sky started to burst to the moment he decided to stop forever the pink haired girl.  
But now there was just silence.

She went closer to the girl, looking for a hint of how she died, she placed a hand on the girl's upper body.  
"I wish I had a girl strong like you in my army..." She murmured in pain.  
She felt something flowing with great energy between her hand and the girl's chest.  
It was a dark crystal, emerging from the lifeless body, she just couldn't help but keeping it with her, attracted by the strange dark glow.  
When she checked at the other body she found something similar, just with a differen shape, she took it too.

She coudn't help but to feel deep desperation in that place, like she swore long time ago to use her force just to protect lives, not to take them away, like that promise was million years ago, like that promise had gone.  
She felt like the people for whom she wanted to be a better person were lost forever far from her.  
A single little warm river was running along her left cheek.

As soon as she closed her left eye she heard a metallic sound in the distance. "He can't be in hell..." The woman whispered, then started to looking for that sound, like her entire life depended on finding the source of that sound.  
She felt like everything she lived before was being forgotten forever, she could just take the memory of a tought man with a tough armour and a tough face and a tough personality.

She decided to go to the only bulding she could see in the distance, wishing to find there some medicine and the tough armoured man.

* * *

"What is that you want to show me?" "I think we have found a crystal." Ultimecia readily answered to Garland's question.

Emperor, Garland and Utimecia were at Pandaemonium, the place where was Mateus personal throne.  
"What have you done to obtain it?"  
"It just was here, but we couldn't touch it, I wonder if you can do something..." Mateus explained, guiding the other two some place underground in his fortress.  
Garland tightened his grip on the sword.  
Nothing good could come out from that situation.  
"I think I will use it to adorne my scepter" Mateus said.  
"Chaos didn't create the crystals for you." Garland informed him.  
"Had he done them for you, Garland?"  
"We still don't know the use of the crystals." The armoured warrior decleared, his voice solemn as always.  
"What if we don't believe you?"  
Garland was trapped between Ultimecia cold gaze and Mateus firm glare.  
Ultimecia casted a blizard magic, while Mateus attacked him with flare.  
Garland was not hurt, but he knew that it was just the beginning. There was no crystal there, there was just a trap for him, now it was clear for Garland.  
He started throwing his huge sword against Mateus, pointing at his chest, thinking that was about time to get rid of him, who caused nothing but trouble for Chaos and his other warriors.

_Stop._

The witch stopped time.  
She amusedly smirked noticing the look of pure terror in Mateus face. The sword was about to push in his upper body.  
"As long as you don't let go of me, time won't stop for you." She reminded Mateus, touching his arms to free him from the time stopping spell.  
He just let himself to let go one heavy breath, then his face returned emotionless, once he noticed Garland was frozen like a statue.  
"We should have done this in the previus cycles, shouldn't we?" He said.  
Ultimecia glared coldly at him. "We could not. You nedeed my power but didn't bother yourself to gently ask."  
"How unfortunate" Mateus calmly smirked. "I didn't ask this this time too." He added.  
"I sould have left him break through your body." She softened her grip on Emperor's arm. He was still in front of Garland with the sword pointed to him.  
"Don't do that..."

"please."  
It seemed it was enough for her.  
They trapped the frozen in time Garland in one dark lost prison in Mateus'pandaemonium.  
When they were out of the fortress, back to the land, Ultimecia let the time free to flow.  
"In the end, it went all according to plans" Mateus stated.

"Good luck, Garland." Ultimecia sniggered.

* * *

"Hey you!"

The two figures turned to her.  
"How rude of you." The man stated.  
"Oh my... are you a noble, Lord...?" Her tone just irritates him even more.  
She knew she couldn't stand any battle with the wound on her side, even so, she coudn't help but to be a bit arrogant with that people.

They just looked like the type of people you just can't be nice with.

That weird looking golden clothed man sat down on the throne between the dancing flames.  
So the devil was real? She was not impressed, anyway. There was just two things in her mind: the wound on her side that still didn't stop to bleed and bring pain, and the will to find the source of the metallic sound she heard a little time before.  
"Not a Lord. Emperor. I am Emperor Mateus." He glared.  
"To be sat on a throne doesn't make you a leader." She answered staring firmly at him with her only visible eye.  
The witch who was with him couldn't hold back a smirk.  
"Is she a new Cosmos warrior?" The grey haired witch asked turning to Emperor Mateus.  
"Can I know your name, Lady?" He was arrogant and was gazing at her wound.  
"Not a Lady. I am General Beatrix, the head of the Alexandrian army."  
Emperor Mateus look was glacial but intense at the same time.  
"Well I don't have time to waste, I am searching for man with an armour. He sound like metal when he walks, and has a deep voice, a tough face, and a big sword too. Did you happen to see him?" They looked amazed.  
"So, is she the woman Kefka was talking about?"  
"I tought Kefka was just fooling around..."  
"Is she Garland's woman?" They started to talk to each other,

"Garland... ?"

Beatrix interrupted them. "I feel like my memories are confusing right now... but think I had already heard that name..."  
"Have you, by any chance, met two crazy looking men sice you're here?"  
"Well, is seems people here are quite weird, lady." Beatrix answered to the witch.  
"She's straightforward, at least." The red clothed witch commented while smirking.  
Some manikins were nearby, peacefully running without purpose.  
"Do you know what they are, lady?" Beatrix tried to ask to the one who seemed more normal.  
"Did they attacked you?"  
"Not at all, they seem lifeless creatures." General Beatrix explained.  
The two evil looking people were intrigued.  
"I think you should come with us." Mateus said, it sounded more like an order.  
"I must decline, I have to-"  
"Looking for your man. You already said it." The witch finished the sentence for her.  
"But it would be difficult to find him..." Emperor slightly smirked "Just let us help you."  
It really didn't sound like someone who is offering help should sound, but in that condition she couldn't refuse, unless she wanted to die blood drained in that damned desert.

As soon as the witch placed a monstrous looking hand on her shoulder she could feel the tickling pleasure of a healing spell on the skin, then noticed her wound stopped bleeding and the pain softened.

"To be helped by this people... I really am in hell." She thought to herself, while following them.


	6. Chapter 6

Kuja could hear thunders rumbling. Maybe they were explosions. Or maybe Kefka had gone more insane.

Actually that brought back memories. There was a time when he was used to be awakened by a rambling sound. What was it? It was a positive memory, almost heart warming. If the memory of Zidane protecting him in the Lifa Tree was gold, the memory of that sound was silver. When your recollections are so blurry, it happen that you can just associate a colour to them. That was really a silver memory.

It was quite a long time that sound was hindering his sleep, but he didn't bother himself to get up either way.  
He spent the entire night destroying the teleport stones near Chaos land, so he still felt like he deserved more sleep.  
Besides, his room was the only nice place in the Kefka's tower, and in that entire world too.  
It was not different from the time he was on Terra, his homeworld. The only comfortable place was his room.

Some things never change, even in the afterlife.

He finally pulled himself together and left the room, noticing someone had tried to break the magic seal he placed on the door. The sky was rumbling, but the inside of Kefka's tower was awfully quiet until a laugh echoed.  
He stretched his arms and his back and his tail too, still half asleep then he went towards the source of the laugh.

Kefka was at a high floor of the tower, overlooking on a window, enthusiastically using some magic. In the corner of that room was a telescope.  
"Light of judgement is the best!" Kefka was amusing himself.

"So it was really you..." Kuja said, slightly raising a brow.

"Where were you?" Kefka stopped and turned to him, suddenly pissed.  
"In my room."  
"I knocked your door this morning! I tried to force the way too!" Kefka's expression, masked by his painted huge smile was not clear.  
"I was sleeping." Actually, one could have guessed it just looking at him.

"We don't have time for that!" The clown tapped his long red nail on the telescope. "Do you remember Garland's woman?" He asked suddenly entusiastic again.

When Kefka went closer to Kuja, the genome could feel his magic flow tingling in the air, suggesting he had just used some powerful magic.

* * *

Cloud was looking at the small group of Cosmos warriors who were moving in the distance.  
He could see Zidane and Bartz, then Squall slightly behind them.  
Their friendship seemed one of the few things that serveral cycles of war couldn't change.  
Cloud had confused memory about being with Cosmos warriors in some previous cycle, but not the last one, he wondered what they could remember.  
He hurried to walk towards them, until they could see him too.  
"Look! It's Cloud!" Zidane cheerfully started running to him, followed by Bartz.  
The friendly expression on their faces just blew away every doubt about how they see him.  
Zidane kind and playful expression was nothing like the one of his older brother, even so his face made Cloud think about Kuja.  
It was just for Kuja that Cloud was able to reach Cosmos warriors, while the genome promised to make sure of entertain the other Chaos warriors.

"You don't even know which side he's on..." Squall had reached for them, coldly gazing at Cloud.

Cloud just remained silent, gazing back.  
"Cloud is our friend..." Zidane gently said.  
"Don't worry Squall, you won't be in danger until you keep my chocobo's feather!" Bartz brightly smiled, teasing the SeeD.  
"Why do I even listen to you...?" Squall turned his gaze towards the horizon, apparently alienating himself.  
Their attention returned on Cloud.  
"A beautiful girl has worried for you, you shouldn't keep her waiting, you know..." Zidane tried, referring to Tifa.  
They started walking all in the same direction towards a teleport stone, while chatting.  
Right. Tifa was the only reason he made a deal with Kuja.  
Even so, talking about Tifa made him feel uncomfortable, last cycle a friend died to protect him, how he was supposed to protect someone?  
It was dangerous to have people who loves you at the point they could sacrifice for you.  
He didn't want her to get involved. He didn't want to loose his beloved ones again.  
"I don't think I will see her now." Cloud voice was low and emotionless. Knowing she was fine was enough, and seeing her was also not useful to execute Kuja's plan.  
"Why?" Bartz was amazed.  
"She doesn't think you can be defeated, she trusts you. I think you should believe in her too... Don't fear, she is strong." Zidane was try to guessing the reason of Cloud's depressing answer, comforting him.  
And he was quite smart at guessing.  
Cloud slightly nodded.  
"Cosmos taught me this." Zidane proudly smiled, but a hint of sadness was in his eyes. "What will happen now that Cosmos is gone?" He added turning his face to his best friend.  
"Yeah... and we still haven't met Chaos warriors, not even one!" Bartz observed.  
"I wonder where is Kuja..."  
Zidane and Bartz were chatting while walking, Squall and Cloud were slightly behind them.  
Cloud was trying to catch their words to know the situation on Cosmos' side.  
"Why so interested?" Squall asked with an inquiring look, still doubting him.  
Cloud really didn't wanted to lie to them, neither to reveal everything, so he just kept silent.  
Lucky for him, there was Bartz to fill his silence, as soon as he heard Squall voice he turned to them, "Not intersted" he mimicked Cloud's voice and expression, he also changed the sword he was holding in a perfect copy of Cloud's Buster Sword.  
Zidane laughed. "Try mimick this, Bartz!" The blonde genome grabbed one of his daggers with his tail.  
Bartz changed the sword into Zidane's daggers but couldn't do nothing about the tail. They laughed.  
Their lightheartedness was refreshing.

The first part of Kuja plan involved just to know the situation on Cosmos'side, and then to know the position of the warriors, the first phase was really innocent.  
The second part not so much. But Cloud swore to himself to don't let anyone get hurt. Despite this, either Kuja and Cloud knew someone needed to get involved to take the time to discover a way to end war's cycles, before the end of that one.  
"Where are the other Cosmos warriors?" Cloud asked.  
"Squall met Warrior of Light, he is searching for the other warriors on the nort of this land. Me and Zidane had found Prishe some days ago, but we lost her, and are looking for her now." Bartz turned to Zidane, looking for confirmation.  
"Right" Zidane said "I met Tifa and Cecil, she was looking for you, I told them to search near to Cosmos Sanctuary while we searched this area..." He added.  
"What about Terra?" Cloud asked.  
Zidane looked kinda astonished by the question, then answered "We still don't know nothing about her and Vaan, Lightening..."  
Squall stared at Cloud the whole time, probably scanning his behavour.  
"Let's come back at the Sanctuary." Bartz suggested, since they were almost arrived in front of a teleport stone.  
Cloud nodded, then they placed themselves in a circle around the stone.  
"Hey, have you noticed? The northern lands are not accessible." Zidane observed.  
That was part to Kuja's plan, to stop the teleport stones in certain areas, so they could control Cosmos warriors moviments, and Chaos warriors too.  
"I noticed. Let's go now." Bartz said.  
They concurrently touch the stone and vanished.  
Except Cloud, he raised his hands on the stone, but at the last he stopped himself.  
His destination was different.  
They didn't notice there was just one stone still working near Chaos land, it was near the most northern gateway.

By the time he reached the place that was supposed to be his home it was almost night.  
He entered the Kefka's tower, noticing some voices in the hallway.  
There were Kuja and Kefka talking about something. He wondered if he had done the right thing trusting the genome.  
Kuja weakly nodded at Cloud as soon as he noticed him. The mage's gaze was intense, clearly wanting to know how the plan was going.

"You are late." Kefka decleared, oddly pissed, like a father that is waiting for explanation from his teenager son who spent the whole night at the Gold Saucer. With a girl.

A little time later, when they decided it was time to sleep, Cloud went to breath some fresh air at the ground floor, knowing Kuja was there.  
They were not free to talk there.  
"It's ok" Cloud said in a low voice. Kuja gave a nod in confirmation.  
"Zidane's fine." He gingerly said.

"I had never asked to know it" The genome faked indifference.


	7. Chapter 7

"So, where's the nearest town?" Beatrix asked, considering the fact they were walking in the desert the whole day.  
"There aren't any towns here." Emperor said.  
"I see." she answered wrily. So, that golden clothed man was the Emperor of a world with no towns and no people.

"Another one?" He gazed at the teleport stone smashed in a million little pieces at the ground.

Ultimecia picked a little framment on her hand, trying to analyze it.  
A weapon could have broke a telerport stone, but the little fragments seemed like someone make it explode.  
"They made this with magic..." She stated.  
Looking at the black shineless fragment at the ground made Beatrix think about the crystals she found from the body of the dead warriors. That two crystals where still in her pocket.  
In that world there wasn't the mist, so maybe what remained of dead people's souls were that gloomy crystals, she tought.  
"Then a Cosmos warrior is nearby..." "We also have enough mage on Chaos' side that could have done that." Mateus answered to Ultimecia, while his glare was becoming more intrgued.  
"I think we have to find out." She agreed.  
"What is this Cosmos-Chaos thing I keep hearing you talking about?" Beatrix cut in their discussion.  
"You really don't know anything..." Ultimecia was out of patience.  
"I tought a general was supposed just to obey to the order of her leader, not thinking to much." Mateus sighted.  
Was it like that? Had she ever lived like that?  
She sighted. Could have something gone worse?

It started raining.

* * *

"I wonder where is Garland..." Kuja said. Garland was the only Chaos warrior whose position was unknown to Kuja.  
Ultimecia and Mateus were probably stuck in the desert, since they would take some days to come back from Chaos'throne without the teleport stone.  
Kefka was with him, and Cloud was back to Cosmos'land.  
"The woman who was looking for him was around this area... " then Kefka voice raised while he enthusiastically pointed with his hand in front of them. "Uwee... It was there! Exactly there!"  
Kuja looked in that direction. He could see what Kefka was this excited about.  
The ground was burnt by some magic spell, making it smell like ashes, there where traces of manikins shuttered at the ground, and a little further two body was lying like they were dead.  
"Are they Cosmos warriors?" Kuja asked.  
"Yeah, she killed the pretty boy, then I decided to help a little!" So, that was what Kefka was doing casting his Light of Judgment out of the window of the tower. The burnt ground was his work.  
As they reached for the bodies they could also see blood traces around them.  
Kuja looked at them like it was the first time he saw someone dead. They were Vaan and Lightning.  
He could remember killing people on Gaya. He always did it from distance, on the board of his airship. Using powers they couldn't even imagine.  
Seeing dead bodies this near felt weird to him, scaring and fascinating at the same time.  
Had his body remained like this in the depht of Lifa Tree when he was dead? What about their souls?  
Kefka instead was starting to look bored, destruction was great, but the after destruction felt really disappointing to him.  
"There are no crystals here... I tought killing them was the way!" He whined.  
Kuja had to agree.  
"Well, what if to get the crystals we Chaos warriors have to kill each other?" Kefka started.  
Despite the content of what he was saying, he looked oddly cheerful about it.  
"We should try someday." Kuja was not as enthusiast, but decided to pander him. "I can't wait!" Kefka giggled, while checking out one last time Lightning body to search for a crystal.

"Kefka!"

It was a femminine voice.  
They looked behind to see her.  
A green haired girl, familiar to them both was standing some steps away from them. Terra.  
Her expression looked hurt as she let her eyes lies on her team mates at the ground.  
"What have you done?" She pointed her eyes in Kefka's ones.  
Kuja felt bothered by her presence.  
Cloud was supposed to find her and bring her to him, so he could give a toy to Kefka to distract him, while planning a way to get Zidane out of that world.  
Kuja felt bothered also by the magic flow of her powers, it was a thing between mages, they could feel each other powers.  
It was not that Terra's powers were so strong to bother him, but that magic flow felt different by his and Kefka's powers, it felt beautiful.

Despite this, he felt nothing but a spectator in that scene, since Terra and Kefka was intensely gazing at each other.  
"Uwee I didn't do so much this time!" Kefka smirked while staring at her with icy eyes.  
Terra reached for the bodies trying some curative spells on them.  
As she grabbed Lightning, Kefka distanced himself.  
"They had to die anyway! The sooner the better!" He said.  
In Terra's hurted look there was not hate, but something else. Kuja could see but not understand what it was.  
He was sure Zidane looked at him like that some before.  
"Your life's worth nothing!" Kefka suddenly decided that fight was the way.  
He attacked her with a fire spell, while she readily skipped it, attacking back with a wind magic.

Kefka got more and more excited and energetic during the battle, while Terra was clearly holding back her attacks, running out of stamina.  
"Does it hurt? DOES IT!?" He attacked again, an attack Terra could not skip.  
She was at the ground wheezing, in her eyes the same feel as before.  
She closed them while Kefka prepared a Havoc wings attack that was enough to broke her.  
That was the time Kuja chose to be part of the show.  
He casted a flare star against Kefka, interrupting his attacks.  
From that moment Kefka's attacks were all for him, it wasn't clear, looking at the clown what was on his mind.  
Sure thing was that Kefka this excited about destruction was unstoppable.  
"Come on! Come on! Come on! " He shouted, laughing maniacally while throwing a powerful blizzard spell o him.  
Kuja didn't get seriously hurt, since he managed to avoid it.  
"Go away!" He ordered in an angry voice to Terra that was still there, looking at them.  
He casted a flare star in her direction to stop her lingering.  
As she signed no with her head, and he felt the refreshing feel of a healing spell in his body. What was that for?  
He attacked her again until she had no coiche but to leave.  
Kefka was getting more and more destructive.  
"I have to kill her, not you!" Kefka casted a flare.  
"Does it matter?" Kuja casted a holy orbs.  
"It's your fault she escaped!" Kefka answered with a fire.  
"I didn't wanted you to whine about your broken plaything." Kuja smirked, challenging Kefka with his gaze.  
Kefka tried Havoc wings again. "Let's see if I get a crystal from you!" Kefka challenged him back.  
Was Kefka really going on till the end of one of them?

Kuja tranced without realizing it. Somehow, he also become enthused about the fight.  
"Let's destroy ALL!" Kefka voice become creepier.  
While attacking Kuja, he was also destroying all along the path: manikins, rocks, little brave plants who dared to grow in such a damned land.  
It also started raining like he was tearing down the cloud from the sky.  
Kuja didn't hold back from fighting, feeling all that magic power flowing around and inside was enjoyable.

"Just go away!" Kuja finally used Ultima, feeling he was at the climax.  
Every time after using Ultima all felt useless and uninteresting without such a power. The trance faded away.

He found himself slightly panting, while the rain was soaking him.  
He brought his hand to remove the wet hair that prevented him to see where Kefka was.  
The mage was a little further on the ground, he was hurt, but amused.  
"That's what I call distruction!" He seemed satisfied, looking at the scene around them.  
He cured himself with a spell, and started to walk back to his tower, leaving Kuja behind.

Kuja remained in the rain, conflicted about his own actions and feelings.


	8. Chapter 8

"Oh my, are you stuck in the desert too, Kuja?"

Kuja was sitting on a natural stair, he was considering to not returning at Kefka's tower, while he was examinating his own skin to cure every little wound to avoid scars.  
He stayed so long under the cold rain that felt like he was becoming one with it.  
The genome had already recognized that voice. He hated that his name was coming out from that mouth.  
"I think so." He dryly answered in an apathetic way, continuing what he was doing.  
"Who did you faught?"  
Kuja looked up, searching for a way to avoid the question.  
With his surprise, not only Ultimecia was with the Emperor, also the sworded woman that Kefka called "Garland's woman".  
He still could not shake off the feeling of having once known her.

"She's General Beatrix. It seems you and Kefka have already met her." Ultimecia said noticing Kuja's insistent gaze on the woman.  
"General Beatrix...?" He articulated the name slower, she stepped forward, right in front of him. "Beatrix from Alexandria, Head of Alexandrian army."  
At her back, Emperor rolled his eyes.  
"Do you know Alexandria?" She continued.  
Kuja could remember it.  
"What are you talking about?" He faked ignorance, remembering Ultimecia and Mateus were there looking.  
"What about this rain?" She tried, having the feelings they had already been together in the pouring rain.  
That also brought back memories to Kuja.

"I..." he lingered for a moment, "_I find this rain quite pleasant._" Kuja said, finding out the right words.

He couldn't remember if they were enemies or... not enemies, since he remembered not having any friends.  
"What's happening? Is she from your homeworld?" Mateus cut in asking to Kuja.  
"I don't think so." Kuja said without lying, since people from his actual homeworld looked like dumber copies of Zidane.  
"Are you taking her at Kefka's tower?" Kuja asked them.  
"If only we could came back..." Ultimecia said in a tone that made Kuja think she was blaming something on him.  
"I saw it too. Someone destroyed the teleport stone, doesn't it?" Kuja asked, holding back the impulse to grin, looking at Mateus and Ultimecia pissed faces.

In the end, Kuja found himself following them back to Kefka's tower, wanting to know more about the woman who seemed from Gaya.

* * *

Cloud reached the most northern teleport stone and teleported himself near the Cosmos sanctuary, knowing he needed to explain something to the others for disappearing.

Cosmos place was quiet, none was there.

He directed himself to the Lunar Subterrane that were nearby.  
As soon as he moved a step in, he could hear a soft noise, like someone was softly crying.

Cloud silently reached a higher area, he finally could see what was going on.  
"Brother..." It was Cecil, he was in his paladine form, on his knees on the rough ground, abandoning himself to the pain of the loss of his brother.  
"I... I couldn't even help Kain." His voice sounded frail.  
A hand reached for him, gently caressing his shoulder.  
With a suffering expression on her face, Yuna was closer to him.  
"I know how you feel." She tried to comforting him.  
"Last time we couldn't help but watch Chaos warriors destroying each other... But those who cut in were killed too... If you had tried something you would be now dead like Kain did... Like Firion and all the Cosmos warriors who tired to stop the slaughter."  
"It would have been better than remain like this!" He was at the top of the sufference, and couldn't even accept that attempt of comfort. "Tidus too!" Cecil looked up in Yuna's eyes to find out thet she had tears falling on her cheeks too, she was just quieter then him in expressing her pain.

Cloud's heart skipped a beat at the name of Tidus. Like seeing them suffer this much wasn't already enough painful...  
Seeing Yuna crying for the one who saved his life, remembering the details of the battle... Kain had been killed by Exdeath, while trying to help Golbez.  
Firion, instead, shielded Tidus with his body against an attack of the Emperor, but in the end it was a useless sacrifice since both of them died.  
Cloud couldn't express his pain like them, his almost emotionless face felt like a mask, while his inside was falling apart.  
His heart skipped one more beat when, having stopped to look at the scene, he heard Tifa's voice reaching for them.

"Guys! Take this!" Tifa had a potion in her hand.  
She tried to offer them a warming smile despite their condition.  
"We still have to fight. We still need to be strong!" Tifa bright voice was encouraging them. "let's share it..."  
Yuna took the little bottle taking a sip of the potion. Then tried to smiled back, but tears were running down her face again.  
She passed it to Cecil, he driked it, but still couldn't force a smile.  
"I am so glad I still have you by my side, friends."  
Tifa sure knew hot make people feel loved, and Cloud had always admired her for it.  
Since he didn't want to see Tifa while feeling this awful, he decided to step back, searching for Zidane and his friends again, since they were probably searching for him too.

* * *

He was in the dark.  
The rocks around projected long creepy shadows on the ground.  
He was scared. He had just blurry memories, but in all of them he could remember being scared.

Before finding himself in that lonely world he could remember a scene.

_He couldn't move his body, he couldn't speak. He was feeling afraid._  
_Someone closed his eyes, since he could not do it himself. He couldn't even reopen them._  
_"What do you mean he stopped?" A voice full of anxiety._  
_"He'S dead."_  
_"Guys, is it true?" That shrill voice again._  
_"Y-yes, father s-stopped this night." Anoyher voice whined. He could not look at them._  
_A girl hurried in his direction, giving him what it seemed halfway between a hug and an attack, it was a small soft body, he felt some little punches on his shoulder._  
_"Don't die, Vivi!" She shouted in an imperative tone._  
_Was she mad at him? Who was Vivi?_  
_He couldn't see her, he could just feel the people around him crying and being mad, and he felt gulty about it._  
_He was scared._

The little creatures brought his hand in his pocket pulling out a black crystal. Somehow that was the only object that made him feel stronger.  
It was like he could feel alive holding it, like he could feel the warm and the flowing power of holding someone else with his tiny hands.  
Walking aimlessy in that dark place, some voices reached his senses.

"I am so glad I still have you by my side, friends." A femminine voice said.

He peeked at them.  
There was two girls and an entirely white man, white clothed, white haired.  
"What is that light?" The guy asked his voice seemed not serene.  
"What are you talking about? Warrior of light is here?"  
"No, I saw two little yellow light in that direction."

They all hurried in his direction.  
They were... tall, at least in front of him.  
"Who is this?" Their faces were amazed.  
The long haired girl hurried closer to him, with a sudden moviment, startling the little mage.  
He casted a powerful Thundaga while his little hands were trembling.  
"Watch out!" The white guy grabbed the girl to make her skip the magic attack.

He was entirely trembling while their faces become alarmed.  
They were mad at him.

* * *

"Guys! What's happening?" Cloud jumped down from a nearby rock.  
He had to face them despite himself, since he heard someone attacking them.  
They were in front of a strange trembling creature.  
"Cloud!" Tifa brightened.  
His apparent inability to show enthusiasm made him feel awkward. He lifted his sword a little, not to attack but to adust it in his hands, the little creature seemed startled and casted a black magic they could not even identify, it seemed he was draining their energy.  
Cecil stepped towards the little mage, then he looked at his friends over his shoulder. "Please, leave this to me!"  
"Are you sure, Cecil?" Tifa asked.  
"I will not let anyone get hurt again..."  
They still lingered.  
"Please, go to the Sanctuary, I will see you there." Cecil added in a pleading tone.  
Cloud nodded as he noticed Cecil was looking in his eyes, then hurried to the exit of the Lunar Subeterrane, followed by Yuna and Tifa.

* * *

Even if now he just had one warrior in front of him instead of four, the trembling didn't stopped.  
The white warrior turned to him as his friends started to run. His eyes were red and watery, like the eyes of a person who had cryed for long.  
Suddenly that eyes were full of feral anger and in a glimpse of light he changed his appearence in that of a dark knight.

Nor his eyes, nor his face were still visible, making him looking like a soulles, inhuman warrior.

* * *

***************************************Author's note:  
"I find this rain quite pleasant" Has been said by Kuja in presence of Beatrix in FFIX, in Burmecia near the end of disk one.  
Here in the fic, she asked about the rain on purpose to refer to Burmecia, where it always rains.

I guess, If you read this fic until here, you had already noticed that FFIX is the one that gets the most references and flashbacks here.

See you soon, thanks for reading ^^


	9. Chapter 9

"Guys!" Bartz welcomed them at the entrance of the Sanctuary. "Cloud! We were worried for you!" He added.  
"Sorry." Cloud calmly said, "The teleport stone didn't work right." "What's with Zidane?" Tifa noticed the blonde boy sitting on the ground with a frown on his face. He was leaning with his back against Cosmos'seat, looking unusually sad.  
Bartz looked at him and pouted. "He remembered having a girlfriend on his homeworld."  
"That's nice!" Tifa smiled in confusion, not understanding why he was so sad.  
"And he really miss her... he is like that since hours." Bartz was clearly worried sick about his best friend. "He also refuses to haunt treasure with me!"  
Tifa saddened a bit, and went towards Zidane. She patted his shoulder. "Come on, I'm sure- " She found herself hugged by the boy, he grinned, apparently returning his usual self. "It was just an excuse!" Tifa sighted, pulling him at distance with a weak kick.  
Bartz grinned back at Zidane "You have to teach me how to do Stellar Circle 5 in exchange!" Bartz said without shame.  
Squall rolled his eyes, probably knowing they planned all that.

Zidane nimbly stood up, then he offered Tifa a hand, but she stood up on her own, as nimbly as him.  
He scratched his own head like he was embarassed, to look cute in Tifa's eyes, since she was glancing at him. "It was not true... I just remembered I was able to be an actor, so I wanted to prove it!" He tried.

Cloud was standing there without saying a word, but he could enjoy the light-hearted mood when he was with them, he could finally enjoy Tifa's smile, it was even better than what he remembered.

"What about Cecil? Wasn't he with you?" Zidane asked.  
"... We had been attacked at the Lunar Subterrane. Cecil told us he could do it by himself." Yuna said, but was looking worried.  
"A Chaos warrior?" Squall finally opened his mouth.  
"I couldn't recognize him..." She explained.  
"I think it was a mage." Cloud added, remembering the creature attacked with a black magic spell.  
"He was short, with a big merlin hat and yellow glowing eyes. He was wierd!" Tifa described him.

"That thing... Last time I saw Prishe she was with him!" Bartz opened up his eyes, amazed.  
Zidane brought a hand to his own chin, looking aloof.  
Yuna looked even more worried than before. "Is that how you lost sight of her?"  
"Yeah." Bartz nodded, then he made his proud "I am a genius" face. "An... Enemy?"  
"Isn't it obvious?" Squall sighed.  
"Should we check the Lunar Subterrane together?" Tifa proposed.

"Wait, guys!" Zidane raised his voice, stopping them, "I think it sounds familiar to me." He sounded puzzled.  
"You didn't said it when I told you about it last time!"  
"But you said it was a wierd fish, Bartz!"  
The voices of the two Cosmos warrior accompanied them trough the path towards the Lunar Subterrane.

* * *

"Uwee, don't let the floor get wet!" Kefka welcomed his soaked team mates with a wind magic right in their faces, while reaching for the hallway they were.  
Kuja gave him a killer glance, but with a hint of curiosity, maybe expecting to see his reaction after they faught, Mateus seemed more scornful than usual with his hair soaked, and was death-staring him, Ultimecia was looking like having an headache, but didn't spare Kefka a murderous glance.  
The scene was absolutely AMUSING, but, there was one thing that deserved even more attention.  
"Oh my, oh my! Leave your sword out of here, woman!" He raised his voice pointing in Beatrix direction.  
She lifted the sword frowning "I-"  
"She killed a hundred knights single-handedly." Mateus cut her sentence, speaking with great annoyance.  
"We already had plenty sworded idiots!" Kefka informed Beatrix. "But, guess what?" The clown made an oddly sad face. "They are all DIED!" He remarked the last word with his voice and a grin. "Or disappeared..." He considered bringing a hand to his chin, remembering Garland and Cloud had been out of sight for a bit.

"I see, this is your jester." She turned to Mateus with a skeptik face.

* * *

"Cecil!" Zidane's voice echoed trough the Lunar Subeterrane.  
"Cecil, please, answer!" Tifa's voice followed, slightly filled with anguish.  
Yuna stepped a little far from the group. "Let's divide in groups, we'll get more canches to find him." She tried.  
"Sounds good, we'll go this way!" Bartz said, following Yuna and grabbing Squall's arm. The seeD rolled his eyes in annoyance.  
Tifa, Zidane and Cloud were left together.  
Cloud chose the direction noticing some burned rocks, traces of a recent fight.

At the beginning they could hear the voices of the other warriors calling for Cecil, while following a path of little blood traces.  
Wandering in the Lunar Subeterranea there were also some manikins, Cloud smashed all of them along the way before they could attack, to hide his belonging to Chaos'side to the Cosmos warriors.  
"The manikins of Golbez are increasing in number." Tifa considered, and she was right, they were almost all Golbez copies.  
Following the hints, it didn't take so long to find Cecil.  
He was in his dark form, almost indistinguishable from the dark ground where he was lying.  
"Bro.. ther..." He was at the ground, weakly calling for a nearby Golbez manikin, who looked confused, but was due to attacking him.  
Cecil was already in a lake of blood, part of his body heavily burned.

Jumping on a higher path on the rocks, Zidane fastly reached for them, knocking the manikin down, making it dissolve in a rain of shining fragments.

Cloud hurried towards Cecil's body. "Cecil..." He whispered.  
The warrior had lifted a hand, "Broth... er..." he cried again. His breath wasn't right. "Brother...".  
Cloud holded him from the shoulders.  
"I'm Cloud... Hold on, Cecil-" He holded him even tighter to made him feel his presence, and his warmth.  
Cecil turned in his paladine form in a glimpse of light.  
Zidane started searching desperately for some medicines around the area.

Cloud shivered as he could see the Paladine's eyes, between trails of blood, they didn't focus on him, but they spaced out.  
His body was getting remarkably cold.  
"Cecil..." Cloud called once again, feeling powerless.

_Not again..._  
He could not shake off the feeling to had already lived something similar, maybe more than once. He could not remember the faces of the people that died in his arms, just his own pain.  
Just piercing blue eyes, just the water, the pouring rain, a blue pearl touching the ground, then collapsing forever, just a voice, calling "mother...", just a blood stain on the thorax.  
_Not again._

Tifa was at his side, enduring the same sufference.  
"Cecil!" She holded his hand, tinting in blood her fingers.  
She placed the other gentle hand on Cloud's arm, noticing he was slightly shaking, but she didn't remove his gaze from the Paladin.  
"Go... Call Yuna." Cloud voice was shaking. His hope was that a cure spell could still be helpful.  
"I will!"  
As Tifa suddenly took away her touch, he felt despair forcing its way on him.

_Not again_\- It was almost a prayer in Cloud's heart.

"Found it!" Zidane reached for them with a potion in his hand.  
Cloud made the paladin lean on him, while Zidane was trying to force the medicine down his throat.  
"What's this warmth?" Zidane had placed an hand on Cecil's chest, where there was one of the bigger wound.  
"WHAT'S THIS?!" His eyes opened wide.

_That couldn't be- Not again..._

* * *

"Ok, ok, I'll let you in!" Kefka said.  
"BUT it's just because I want to see Garland face when he come's back!"  
Only Beatrix and Kefka were left in the hallway.  
"Garland?" She looked puzzled, questioning herself if a conversation with a clown who was maniacally glaring at her side, where the blood stain from the fight had tinted her white clothing, could make any sense.  
Kefka raised his eyebrows in annoyance "The tough armoured man!" Beatrix looked puzzled.  
"Come in, before I change my mind, and...!" He laughed, a little magic glimpsed in Kefka hands, making the air tingling.  
"I can do that too." She grinned.  
Kefka mockingly clapped.  
She started walking along the hallway, towards her room.

She examined the room for a bit, then went near the window making her hair dry in the wind of the night.  
"How the hell did we end up here?" The general sighted, looking at her sword, her beloved Save the Queen.  
The frail light of night underlined every little signs on the blade. Each mark was a battle, each one was life taken away. Even if there were millions little scratches, she could feel there was a new one.

"This is something I don't need to ask, right?"

The only thing that really didn't make any sense to her was how the man the was fighting at her side at Alexandria could be there. Why he was called Garland now? Would he really come to that tower? Did she really have to wait in a tower? What an uneasy situation.

The door opened wide, Kefka glanced inside.  
"Were you talkin' with your sword?" He smirked, "Must be dumber than Sephirot..." The man mumbled to himself, then raised his voice.  
"Since this is my tower, you have to keep in mind some rules..." He threw her a rolled parchment.  
Beatrix grabbed it, then he vanished out of the room shutting the door.

Beatrix opened the scroll, as he left.  
It was written with a chaotic writing, all in a dark shade of red.

"I Hate you. I Hate you. I Hate you [...]" Countless times.

Someone quietly knocked at the door, interrupting her reading, but then shutted it open without waiting for her permission.  
"Just as I imagined" Kuja looked at the door, "You should put a magic seal on the lock." Kuja said, speaking in a low voice. His glance lingered on the blood stain on her side too.  
She gave up the hope to have a sane conversation with all of them, probably none was in his right mind there, "I'll do it."  
"Don't make it be flare or some fire magic, or Kefka will force his way in anyway." He informed her.  
Beatrix nodded.  
They both stood in front of each other, each of them bothered to be not able to remember if they were once ally or foe, but both of them feeling it was a naive question to ask. "Since we are in hell together, we both had been bad people, I guess."  
"It's not like the heroes are in paradise..." Kuja considered more to himself, than to share it.  
Beatrix looked confused.  
"You'll see." He cut out, stepping towards the exit of the room.  
Kuja noticed the scroll Beatrix was holding. "I hate you. I hate you. I HATE you..." he read. "Kefka already provided you with the rules of the house...?" He smirked.  
"You have one too?" She asked wryly.  
"More than one scroll." He slightly smiled, then closed the door.


	10. Chapter 10

"Trapped in a pathetic cycle of blind battles, brute force alone can do nothing, I wonder if Garland is learning his lesson down there..."

Ultimecia glared a little above the table they were sitting, a spider was hanging from the ceiling, slowly descending, then her glare turned on the Emperor again.  
In the poor light of a candle, in a room of the Kefka's tower, even Mateus looked like he had lost his greatness.  
"How does the trap works?" Ultimecia asked.  
"I spent most of the previous cycle refining this, no magic is allowed in there, neither brute force can help those who fall in it, once you are in, you are like an insect in a spiderweb, waiting for the spider to come, waiting for the Lord who had take your freedom away."  
The sorceress silently casted a slow on the little spider, the gossamer on wich it was hanging made a weak gold reflection, "Who's the next insect?"  
"Oh, I wonder... who will fall in my beautiful trap?" He almost smiled. "Should I be sorry that Firion won't have this privilege?"  
She remembered Mateus saying that being the only one of the Chaos warriors with his own nemesis defeated, was clearly a mark of his superiority.  
He was indeed making a reference about what happened in the last cycle... memories were blurry, but still reachable.

_"Squall!" His friend shouted._  
_She was fighting with the Cloud of Darkness, well, they were all fighting._  
_A disgusting particle beam struck to her body, as she distracted herself looking what was happening._  
_The sorceress suddenly stopped time, and healed herself._  
_Now she could quietly walk trough the battlefield, whatching all the warrior petrified in time, Firion was at the ground, already dead, Sephirot was in a glorius pose, transfixing Tidus'body, feral fear was trapped in Cloud's eyes.  
A little beyond them, Kuja was about to cast Ultima, his arms towards the sky, his eyes closed.  
Zidane had tranced, the younger genome was guarding over his brother, protecting him from Exdeath._  
_She passed, careful not to touch them, another battle scene was waiting to be seen, Bartz had been petrified in time with his mouth wide open to scream his friend's name, his fists were trying to penetrate a magic barrier._  
_Squall was trapped in a magic circle of light, Mateus had his scepter pointed towards his chest, a blizzaga ready to be casted._  
_She foreseen the burning humuliation of having Mateus killing her own enemy, she felt betrayed._  
_When the time had restart its natural flow, in front of the Emperor, Cloud of Darkness had replaced Squall, a ice spike was piercing her chest, somewhere nearby even Chaos was dying, the world was ending, there was no more time..._  
_"You... saved him?!" Mateus accusatory words reached for her._  
_"If anyone is fit to decide when his time has come..." a glowing white light was bringing everything away "...it is me."_  
_Shinryu's wings were calling for them to forget._

"-and then, no doubt, the world will be mine." He said satisfied. Ultimecia hadn't listened.

Images were running trough her mind, when she focused her look to Mateus, the spider was about at the level of their eyes, between them.  
"Are you not satisfied with this?" He noticed her lack of reaction at whatever he was saying.  
She casted haste on the candle, making the little flame dancing faster in their eyes, still lost in tought.  
Was it because of that battle that, since the beginning of the new cycle, he was trying to let her know she was no more part of his plans?  
"I think you know, one day you'll have to crown the true master." He dryly said.  
The "_We will rule the world, the space, the time, joining our power_" of some cycles ago was progressively fading away.

"Your majesty!" the words were pandering, but the tone was mocking, Kefka was calling, interrupting what was becoming an unpleasant conversation "I have something to discuss with you!"

Ultimecia casted stop on the little arachnid, it fell on the table, between her claws.  
"I will." She whispered, while Mateus was focusing on opening the seal.

The little spider left just a trace, as soft as a shadow, on the cold stone of the table.

* * *

The breeze was blowing on his body.

When he opened his little gold eyes, he saw the sky.  
It was dark blue, like it was evening, some clouds were fast moving, revealing an unfamiliar lonely white moon.  
Near him he could feel warmth, he turned to the source of it, a little fireplace was spreading its light and its warmth, behind it there was a little tent.

He lost his eyes in the distance, focusing to remember how he ended up there, and then remembered...

_He was finally out of that dark maze made of gloomy rocks._  
_He couldn't run well even when he was healty, because he tripped everytime he tried, but this time he also was severely wound, shaking and shivering._  
_He couldn't bleed, since he hadn't any blood inside his body, but still, he looked soaked in the blood of the dark warrior._  
_But the pain he was feeling inside was piercing._  
_While they were fighting, the warrior had hurted him deeply, no matter how many flare and firaga he casted, the warrior always attacked back._  
_Lucky for him, some giant, soulles, statue-like creatures come in his help. They seemed like armoured golem to him._  
_They pityless attacked the warrior, who was screaming "Brother...!", the screams were still in his mind._  
_The good thing was, the statue-like golem gave him the chance to run away, out of that scary place._  
_Far from the things he hadn't even wanted to see._

_The piercing pain was getting unbearable, by the time he had almost reached for a strange giant stone, attracted by the crystal shape, the glowing light._  
_He fell on the ground._  
_A girl materialized herself, like evoked from the stone, she had soft, slightly curled green hair, her face was angelic._  
_If he was going to die, he didn't despise her to guide him away from that world._

_Trying to stay focused despite the pain, he could tell she was a mage, from the tingling magic aura around her._  
_Maybe that was how she managed to look beautiful even in the eyes of a dying creature._

_Near her popped in the air a floating a moogle._  
_"I sense something bad happened, kupo." The moogle said. He went closer to him, slightly sniffing._  
_It was not necessary to sniff so much to feel the blood scent in the air._  
_"Is he... hurt?" the girl's voice was gentle, her ways were shy._

_The moogle sniffed deeper. "I think he could be with Chaos, kupo..." He annunced, looking worried._

_He sniffed again. "He has KUPO NUTS!"_

_The moogle started to fly in circles over him, chaotically. "He's with Chaos, but he has kupo nuts, what to do? What to do, kupo?"_

_The Green haired mage shook her head._  
_"You're always a person, no matter what side you are on..." She closed her eyes, lifting her hands towards him. He felt the a healing spell releasing his pain a little, and the need to rest in sleep forced its way on him._  
_He felt like, long ago, someone had made that cure spell on him million times, maybe more._

"Are you feeling better, kupo?" The moogle suddenly popped between his eyes and the sky.  
He nodded, placing his hands on his own hat, pressing it a little on the head.  
The moogle glared at him with burning curiosity in his eyes, but remained silent.  
The little mage reached for his pocket, there were two things in there: a grim crystal, and a little jar of Kupo Nuts, bought like... a life ago.

* * *

"... Waxing crescent moon." Kuja said in a low voice to himself, and sketched a little circle, filling it more than half with black ink.

He was sitting on his bed with a scrap of paper, counting the days until the next Waning crescent Moon phase.  
He had to meet Cloud.  
It had been Kuja himself that decided it all.

_"Let's meet at the teleport stone nearby the Prima Vista when there will be the Waning crescent Moon."_

It was a way of expressing himself that he used on Gaia, not that it was common, but he read it in an ancient Gaian literature book.  
Even if he could hardly remember his life, he could still remember some literature, culture and poetry he read. It was quite fascinating, maybe if he would have been a free creature, had would have dedicated his life to write something like that, than to try to destroy all.  
Maybe that was the way to be remembered, to become... Immortal.  
The sound of it still gave creeps on his tail.  
_You are still not over your death_. Kefka had said to him in some previous cycle, pitying Kuja.  
His eyes lowered again on the paper, noticing he had distracted himself.  
"So..." He said again, trying to focus once again.  
The whole problem was that he hadn't considered in that world the Moon's phases were different from Gaia, and that world had only one moon.  
"The day after it will be-"  
He couldn't help but wonder if Cloud had some news. Was Zidane alright?  
That night Kuja had dreamed about the time he threw Zidane from Terra to Gaia.  
If I did it once, it's possible to do it twice. Was his idea about that.

"It will be the new moon." Kuja drew another little circle, filling it entirely with black. "Then-"  
It was curious that Terra had the same name of his homeworld, but when she was around, her presence was warm and beautiful like Gaia.  
He sighted. There was no way he could tell Cloud that Terra was in Chaos land, but he let her run away.  
The whole point of his plans for now was to catch her, and give the toy to Kefka, then focus on sending back his brother where he belonged.  
And Tifa, since he had made a deal with Cloud.

"Three days."


End file.
